Building a big game rifle for my wife
 

Looking to build a rifle for my wife for next years hunting season here in Colorado. Game we will be pursuing- Elk (priority), Antelope, Mulies, and possibly black bear.

I hunt with a remington 700 long range in 30-06. It weighs about 13 pounds. I'm young, I don't mind carrying a heavy rifle through the mountains. Even this with a good pad has too much felt recoil for my wife though.

Ideally for her the rifle will be around the 10lb mark, not much heavier or lighter. Semi-auto to help with recoil, and either 308 or 30-06. Maybe a brake. I reload 30-06 so that would be nice. I'm also contemplating 458 socom since I have a nice AR already. Looking for an effective range out to 300 yards or so.

My short list, some for coolness of owning the rifle:

Browning BAR Mark II safari 30-06 (hunting rifle, maybe LOP too long?)
SCAR 17 (solid all around, adjustable stock, expensive)
M1A (bad choice for optics)
AR style in 308 (heavy)
RRA 458 socom upper

I have a buddy with a couple scar's (16 and 17) that I'm going to borrow for her to shoot.

What other rifles am I missing? opinions?

13lbs to "carry around the mountains" - better you than me.

10lbs for a women - not to sound sexist (LOL) still to heavy for me.

I would look more for a light weight rifle to "hunt the mountains", unless most of the "carrying" is done by horse.


More like this for me.

http://www.weatherby.com/product/rif...rkv/ultralight

lightweight = more recoil. We are both in good shape. Last season I hiked about 25 miles without issue over 4 days. Next year we'll be in better shape and have llamas. I guess if I decide to put a brake on it weight won't matter as much, I'm worried she'll be put off by how loud it is then though. Her LOP is also 12.5"

Benelli R1 if you're stuck on a semi auto.

My wife uses a lightweight 270 Mountain Rifle for elk. She is a fairly small woman but has good form so the recoil does not bother her. She uses a bit of extra padding when she shoots from a benchrest but recoil from field positions is hardly noticeable. She has taken elk cleanly with her little 270.

As you have very recently taken up handloading you can put together cartridges for her rifle for practice that will have reduced recoil. Just sight the rifle in with full power loads before season for shooting at game.

I would get a Rem 700 mountain rifle, .270, .280, or .308 would be fine for what you are talking about. Don't need a brake, its not heavy, very manageable recoil, and still plenty of gun especially if you handload a nice round for it.

I have one in .280, and if I was ever to go Elk hunting, that is what I would take.

I would go for one of the Thompson/Center Venture Weathershield or Predator. Very reasonable price for what looks like a high quality rifle.

458 would have a lot of drop at 300, you may contact mike milli at dedicated technologies, he builds AR's in a 358 wssm, possibly others like a 30 cal based on the wssm case it will work on your AR-15 lower. my mike milli built 25 wssm AR weighs around 10# with a 22" fluted stainless ultra match barrel.
RR

7mm08 is the first cartridge that's comes to mind. If it was me I wouldn't be looking to "go heavy" to reduce recoil. I'd look at a lighter recoiling cartridge capable of doing the job. With a 12.5" LOP a couple of "factory" rifles come to mind. Ruger Compact,Tikka compact.Savage Lady Hunter (no sure on the LOP) Winchester Model 70 compact (LOP is 13") I think all rifles mentioned come in 7-08, and depend on which scope you pick should come in betwwen #7 1/2-#8. I know you said "build" but just a different option.

One of my wife's favorites is a Ruger Compact in .308. It's a might snappy and loud... but it kills things dead and is delightful for her to carry.

like all the suggestions so far and agree, 7mm-08, .308, 270,


perhaps another idea is the 6.5-284 or some other 6.5?
known for great penetration, high SD... , small/light kicking.

No one hunts with a scar huh?

Only 2 or 3 lbs heavier than a bolt gun and probably a lot less recoil.

Phew, I wouldn't want EITHER the 13# OR the 10#er for a mountain rifle! I'm 6'4" 250 & can carry anything but it doesn't mean I would like it. :s10:

I just put together a SWEET rifle for my best bud (his wife wanted to give him something nice for their 20th anniv) I ordered him a Sako Finnlight in 7mm-08. The entire rig is under 7# (has a 3x9x36 Z3 Swarovski but any decent, smaller scope will fit great) it fires a cloverleaf group at 100yds & carries like a dream. Any 140 Barnes, Nosler E-tip, Federal Trophy Coper etc... will MORE than plow thru a wapiti at normal ranges. If you didn't want to go that deep into the pocketbook then checkout the Ruger American All Weather Compact. Great lil rifle for under $500.

A SCAR for an elk rifle? Have some Taliban elk crossed the border and I didn't hear? Besides, they only come in 5.56 or 7.62, neither I consider an elk rifle. If you want the tacticool look then go with an AR 10 and get a WSM upper.

I like the caliber choices of 7mm/08, 308, or 30/06, any of these with proper bullets are fine out to 300 yards IMO.
As far as a heavy gun for help with recoil, I'm iffy on that. My daughter struggled with holding a heavy gun in the free hand position, her arm holding the foregrip would tire very quickly. You know how many times that you have to hold a gun in the ready position for a bit before the animal turns just right. A semi-auto along with a nice recoil pad will do her fine I think, I'd try to target 8#'s or so. And I'd also consider the added weight of a set of bipods on her gun, I doubt I need to say how valuable it is to have a steady rest when your heart is crashing with excitement. I have a couple sets that extend clear out to 30", so they can be used from a sitting position in most cases. My daughter has shot all her deer to date off a bipod...and has gotten all of them that she shot at except one.

LOL!!!!!!! yeah just happened 2 weeks ago. Had my Marlin 336, about #8 all up. I'm hunting a blow down,sitting on the ground. Getting warm out I stand up to take my vest off. A deer came out from behind me but a thicket blocked his view. So I kneel down grab the rifle,shoulder it, and wait. About 30 seconds went by and he walks out 30' from me and presents a shot. That gun went from #8 to #50 in 30 seconds!!!

I did kill him because it wasn't what I wanted to shoot.

I have a Remington 700 Mountain rifle in 7mm 08 with a Pentex 3x9 light seeker on it. Weighs a tad less than 8 pounds recoil is still lighter than a 308 I own. Would not be afraid to use it on and North American game except the very biggest bears.

I hand load 120gr. bullets to 2700FPS. very accrete.

:D Al

scar 17s handles 308 ammo fine.

Check out the Savage "Lady Hunter" in a 7mm/08,beautiful Rifle,light recoil with great accuracy!

build her whatever ya want, make it weigh 10#'s, put a pachmeyer decelerator or SVL pad on it, install a QD Holland brake and she'll be fine with it, my daughter has shot my long range rigs since she was 9 years old and she has no problem with them.

RR

Agreed. My wife is 5'3" and 125lbs, she shoots a 45-70, a 300WSM, 7mmRM, and 338WM - also a 12ga 3 1/2 for turkeys, if shotguns count. Not excessively heavy rifles, just good fitting stocks, good pads, and good brakes. Loud as he11 shooting next to her, but I'll take it.

For what it's worth, none of your list is a mountain rifle, none are a "light rifle for a woman," and none are really in great long range elk rounds. I'd also note that you have the SCAR as "solid all around," then discount the AR-10 because it's "heavy". DPMS Oracle 308 is almost identical empty weight as a SCAR.

Bottom line, you want a SCAR, buy yourself a SCAR. No need to pretend that you're buying it for your wife. :hit:

My wife's rifle is a scoped 20" barrel 30-06 carbine weighing 8 1/4 lbs.

I reload a 150 NPT down to 2,500 fps to keep recoil manageable for her.

Her reload develops 2,000 ft-lbs muzzle energy,
But will carry over 1,500 to 150 yds and will carry over 1,000 to 350 yds.

Take a look at the Styer Pro Hunter "Mountain". I ahve and use this rifle in 308 WIn. and it is a terrific shooter. It has a very nice trigger, excellent accuracy and I like the feel and fit. It has a 20# barrel and weighs about 7.5#, naked. The factory stock has 2 spacers that can be easily removed and reinstalled. This gives you a semi-adjustable length of pull. That might be something important for the fit and feel. As far as cartridge, here's an sort of out of the box suggestion. No doubt a 30.06 Spr., 308 Win., etc. can and has taken many an elk, but if you are looking for a harder hitter. Styer comes in a fine, hard hitting cartridge that is popular in Europe but very much unused here in the US. That is the 9.3x62. The recoil is rather stout, which might be an issue at the range, but if your wife is a "hunter", I lay a dollar to a donut that she'll never feel it when she pulls the trigger on an elk. I have never used this cartridges. Only one guy I know uses this and it is his only rifle ... a Mauser. He has spent the past 35 years or so in diplomatic service. He has hunted in many countries. He has bagged several dang good sized critters including several big bull elk, one heck of a Red Stag and a massive Yukon moose. So, for sure it does not lack killing power. May be too exotic for most, but certainly worth a consideration.

As far as a scope? I asked a buddy what scope was the best for a rifle I was setting up. This was decades ago and was the first time I had really given any real thought to scope quality. His answer has stuck with me. He hesitated a moment and said , "The one that you can afford.". This was his way of saying buy the best that you can. He was spot on then and is spot on now.

In the end, this set up should come in at about your 10# goal.

My thoughts:

1.) What does your wife say about this?

2.) A bolt gun in 7mm-08 Remington could be carried all day and not have much recoil.

3.) Guns get heavier and heavier the longer you carry them. It's not just a matter of being able to carry them, it's a matter of staying fresh. If you're not, it's when you start getting sloppy and the game busts you.

Another possibility: 7x57.

Honestly this is what I would get or build something off of it:
Savage Lady Hunter in 7mm-08. It will harvest anything in Colorado you are after. Recoil is mild and when she actually shoots an animal she will not know. Put a 3-9X40 scope on it with DNZ Game Reaper mounts and she would be golden. Easily a 300 yard rifle.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11Lady
Rifle Specs
Weights 6lbs
Barrel 20"
Twist rate 1X9
Overall Length 39.5"

10 lbs is a heavy rifle to be toting up and down a mountain with other gear.